Conceptual and Practical Foundations of MOOC

MOOCs

 https://www.slideshare.net/vandanapunia2/moocs-251333307

  (click it)

This presentation is concerned with the development of MOOCs.

ONLINE RADIO

This is my online Radio.

A MESSAGE ON TEACHER DAY 

https://anchor.fm/vandana756/episodes/A-Message-on-Teacher-day-e16t81q 

Swami Vivekanand

Blended Learning: Thoughtful Blend of Face to Face and Online Experiences

 

CORONA-19 experimentation with learning experiences witnessed the blunder of Online Teaching. Blended Learning is now becoming a popular and buzzword for the educational world. Blended learning is the mashing of face-to-face classroom teaching methods together with technology for the same learners learning in the same class. Garrison & Vaughan, 2008 stated that it is a thoughtful fusion of face-to-face and online learning experiences. It is a term applied to giving classroom instructions and learning experiences through a combination of face-to-face and technology-enabled learning. This is also called hybrid learning. We should remember always that blended learning is a combination of pedagogy and technology in the classroom. There are some guidelines from which we can prepare our own Blended Learning Design. Beams (2017) had reported that just integration of technology without its appropriate role is meaningless. She had suggested some basic specific procedures.

1. Emphasis on the Pedagogy: In blended learning, we must not forget that we have not slaved to the technology, but technology is to act as a slave. For this purpose, we must know about Pedagogy and its principles concerning Pedagogical Knowledge. It includes Classroom Management, Instructional objectives and strategies, learner engagement, assessment, and evaluation strategies.   

2. Choose your technology carefully: After going through Pedagogical Knowledge, then choose appropriate digital tools and technologies to plan and implement your lesson.

 3. Think of the Curriculum. Now design your lesson with the following steps.

• Design your lesson plan with learning outcomes 
• Give Descriptions of technology devices that will map your desired titles and outcomes. 
• Choose your instructional strategy mapping with digital tools.  
• We must remember that there must be a variety of exercises in our lesson to engage the learner with inbuilt assignments and exercises. Here is the role of digital tools to design and develop all these assignments and exercises.  

(Prof. Vandana Punia, Dean Faculty of Education, Human Resource Development Centre. Guru Jambheshwar University Of S&T, Hisar. She is also the Course Coordinator of National Resource Center, Pedagogical Innovations and Research Methodology.  (MHRD, Govt. of India).

Let us learn How to create Blog?

 Blogs are popular communication tools for every individual and group to communicate new ideas in form of posts. Blogs may be of various types. Everyone can create a blog without spending any money or without an understanding of computer programming.

How to Construct a Blog:

1.  Sign in to Your Gmail and open Google Apps

2. Click on Blogger

3. Click on Create your blog

4.  After selecting the name for your Blog, choose a URL for your blog.The name chosen for URL must be unique one/

5.   Click on save and the page appears like this. This is your space for posting , managing and setting of your blog.

6. Now click on Post and a new icon appears titled New Post. Click on New Post and the page appears like this.

7. Now look at this page and post your writing. Click on Publish. We must remember that setting and designing a blog requires at least one published post. 

 8. You click on View Blog,

9.  Your blog looks like this. But it requires Theme, setting, and design.

10. Now click on Theme, I have selected simple a theme like this.Click on Apply

11.  Now click on layout,

12. Now give a setting to every Column: This is done by clicking on the column. Let us take Header. Very first click on edit like this. If requires any modification in name and description, do it.

You may insert any image also.

13. You may also add, remove or cancel the gadget as per requirement. Click on desired gadget and do the necessary modification. This is a layout program.

14. Now we move on to settings. Click on setting.

Prof. Vandana Punia, Dean, Faculty of Education, Guru Jambheshwar University of S&T, Hisar

Emergency Remote Teaching Plan During and After the Covid-19 Crisis: Preparedness and Response of Pandemic Pedagogy as a New Normal Teaching

 Educational Crisis due to CORONA Pandemic has forced to visualize the policymakers and educational institutions to frame Crisis Management Proposal in form of an Emergency Remote Teaching Plan in monitoring, managing emergencies, and keeping all stakeholders ready to face the challenge given by COVID-19 like Disasters. There are evidence-based findings that teachers have realized that digital technologies can keep the learning going on despite suspended class or, whether it’s online or in the classroom. It is also a trustworthy statement that Pandemic Pedagogy or CORONA Education has specified New Normal teaching. The need of the hour is to focus the attention towards insights, tactics, and best practices to face the disaster by digital technologies in supporting proactive and effective mechanism for Education Crisis in Educational institutions. There are some tips and techniques which can strengthen the Crisis Management Proposal in facing any crisis in form of Pandemic Pedagogy.

• There must be clear goals, achievable objectives, and defined learner outcomes with prescribed syllabus and skilled faculty. There must be provisions of admin and faculty roles separately in a face-to-face mode and virtual mode. We must remember that we have to adapt our plans, but stick to our Goals and Principles.

• There should be a strong robust and reliable infrastructure. There must be valid and standardized technical specifications of tools and techniques while using in learning with regard to teacher and student.

• Staff and students will feel comfortable in receiving the information or correspondent in form of strong technical communication channels from 

• Regular Feedback is essential for any successful learning. This may be in form of verbal or written as well.

• Course development consists of videos, e-text, assessments, and discussion forums. It must be having clear standards.

• Evaluation process must valid, standardized, and certified based on a format about the ordinance of the institution  

• Online learning facilitates self-directed learning and self-paced learning. So there must be provisions of taking care of diverse learning styles of students. These learning styles can be in form of audio style, visual style, and audiovisual styles.  

• Collaborative and/or Problem Solving Activities; There must be various activities for learners about collaborative and problem-solving exercises to enhance critical understanding, creativity, communication, and collaboration.

• Examination System must be always ready to have strong delivery mechanisms and ensure effective implementation of assigned Programmes from the Administration front to serve examination related work offline as well as online.

• It is not always possible for officers to physically sign paper and exchange files. There should be training for officers and office staff to learn digital Lirtacy for smooth functioning of office about Digital signing technologies, Data management system. Office work can also be streamlined, accelerated, and tracked efficiently through these efficiencies.

These are some important tips and suggestions while framing the guidelines of Educational Crisis Management and more suitably designing Pandemic Pedagogy to cater to the needs of educational institutions to face any disaster.

(Prof. Vandana Punia, Dean Faculty of Education, Human Resource Development Centre. Guru Jambheshwar University Of S&T, Hisar. She is also the Course Coordinator of National Resource Center, Pedagogical Innovations and Research Methodology.  (MHRD, Govt. of India).

Emergency Remote Teaching: A Paradigm Shift in Educational Crisis Management

COVID-19 has highlighted Online Education blessing in disguise. Virtual Learning Apps, Digital Initiatives, and Software technologies have been recognized as instrumental for bringing great educational revolutions in the overall education system. Indeed, the quick transformation of face-to-face teaching to an online arrangement gave birth to a novel concept of Emergency Remote Teaching as a new normal in the education system globally. This teaching is quite different from a well-planned online teaching experience and is usually called Moving instructions online. Many professionals of educational technology have pointed out that there exists a clear-cut difference between online learning, MOOCs, and the present trend of CORONA education by converting face-to-face courses to Online learning instruction. As and when a crisis or emergence occurs, educational institutions to be shut down, emergency remote learning may be a good substitute of face to face learning. Unlike Online Learning, Emergency Remote Teaching is temporary. 

This particular teaching is concerned with the present online teaching scenario during the COVID pandemic what we are doing in existing situations with educational concerns. It is a substitute and unplanned method of teaching students in form of a virtual class from a distant place via software technology that simply gives equivalence to a face to face classroom teaching. This is a temporary shift of face-to-face class into an alternate delivery mode in an emergency or crisis in response to something beyond human control. It is concerned with remote teaching solutions for learning endeavors for educational institutions that work otherwise be delivered face to face teaching and that will return to that format once the crisis or emergence has been subsided. The prime objective of this system is not to construct a robust educational system but rather to provide temporary access to teaching-learning endeavors and instructional support in a matter that is quick to set up and is reliably available during emergence or crisis. (Hodges et al. 2020) The foremost characteristic of this ERT is despite suspended classes without stop learning and meant to be temporary. It is only an alternative mode of Face to face learning. Curriculum and Syllabus are converted to an online environment without focusing on Online Pedagogies. Live lectures, recorded lectures, voice-over PPT. Moocs, e-texts, handouts, and videos. Staff development may be further processed via webinars. Classes will go on with Synchronous Mode. 

The focus is on highlighting some popular and successful strategies and tools to cope with Emergency Remote Teaching Solutions that work otherwise be delivered face-to-face and return to that format once the crisis or emergence has been abated. The very first strategy is the use of Synchronous online hours to support student learning by providing direct (synchronous instruction) through Face-to-face Dialogues and Discussions, Conversations through Telephone and Mobile, Live Audio/Video Seminar or lecture. For this, there are available tools that can be used with a little effort. Google Meet, WebEx, Zoom, and Skype platform, etc. are a good example of this.

 

The second foremost requirement of an online learning system is engagement and interaction with a high level of participation. In this mode, this is highly recommended that teacher must engage or interact regularly with students, individually or as a group through Email, by posting a welcome message or announcements on the course page, or by engaging students in online group discussions or chat sessions, by creating Polls and Surveys or designing Interactive Learning Exercises. Tools for this task, Email. LMS like MOODLE, Google Classroom, Edmodo, and Canvas, etc. eXe learning software for Interactive Learning Exercises can be used. 

As an asynchronous instruction, the third strategy consists of providing recorded lectures and assignment explanations in form of Audio, Video, and E-Text. Posting of Course Material and Open Educational Resources. Tools for these tasks are Podcasting, Audacity (audio only), Screencast-o-Matic, and PowerPoint (with audio), etc. There are some good OER that can be accessed. Thus by using Synchronous and Asynchronous, we may monitor students while delivering instructions. Interaction and engagement.

If we talk about Challenges and Roadmap for Emergency remote teaching; of course, due to COVID 19 crisis of quick unplanned, and rapid transformation has generated a lot of tensions in form of no training, insufficient bandwidth, less preparation, bad and dissatisfied user experience leading to unsuccessful sustained growth and needs a new and advance model of education. In my presentation, hopefully, a new model of education is visualized which is going to be the new normal after COVID 19 crisis. If we see the present system of this Corona Education, there seems to be a Lacking reconstruction of a sophisticated educational ecosystem. We may say it Structured Course System. But we may propose an alternative plan of course eco system at the beginning of the semester. Further, there may be lacking resources and limited technology that may not yield good results that are similar with face to face learning. By arranging good technical infrastructure, and high internet bandwidth speed, the problem can be sorted out. Learners may not have good access to the computer, laptop, mobile, or a reliable internet connection. For this by adopting a BYOD policy or Bring your device, we may sort out this problem. It may be possible that full faculty support would not be there and students may not have a choice. Faculty and Students must have the readiness to opt for Emergence Remote Teaching by giving them consultations and guidance. Faculty is also not in a position to adapt quickly to technology for teaching online systems with less professional development. This quick adaptation may result in a stressful situation among faculty. There must be provisions of adequate training to have expertise on digital tools and technology.  Evaluation of course outcomes may not be possible because of quickly converting the course to be delivered online in an unplanned manner. Institutions and teachers must have an alternative mode of assessment need-based.

The concluded statement consists of the fact that every institution must have a college emergency learning plan where all instructional materials, courses can be redesigned to fit with the requirement of the online environment. Some other aspects include assessing the system’s current digital infrastructure (internet, device access), student and teacher digital capabilities, and budget availability that must be considered while adopting emergency remote teaching.

References:

• Hodges, C., Moore, S., Lockee, B., Trust, T., & Bond, A. (2020). The difference between Emergency remote teaching and learning. Retrieved from https://er.educause.edu/articles/2020/3/the-difference-between-emergency-remote-teaching-and-online-learning
• Murphy, M. P. A. (2020a). COVID-19 and emergency e-learning: Consequences of the securitization of higher education for post-pandemic pedagogy. Contemporary Security Policy, 41(3), 492-505.
• Rush, S. C., Partridge, A., & Wheeler, J. (2016). Implementing emergency online schools on the fly as a means of responding to school closures after disaster strikes. Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 45(2), 188-201.
•  Barbour, M. K., LaBonte, R., Hodges, C., Moore, S., Lockee, B., Trust, T. & Kelly, K. (2020). Understanding pandemic pedagogy: Differences between emergency remote, remote, and online teaching. State of the Nation: K-12 e-Learning in Canad
• Bozkurt, A., & Sharma, R.C. (2020). Emergency remote teaching in a time of global crisis due to CoronaVirus pandemic. Asian Journal of Distance Education, 15(1),  i-vi.

(Prof. Vandana Punia, Dean Faculty of Education, Human Resource Development Centre. Guru Jambheshwar University Of S&T, Hisar. She is also the Course Coordinator of National Resource Center, Pedagogical Innovations and Research Methodology.  (MHRD, Govt. of India).

Emergency Remote Teaching

COVID 19 online teaching has been emerged as Emergency Remote teaching and quite differ from a well-planned online teaching experience and usually called Moving instructions online. Many professionals of educational technology have pointed out that there exists a clear-cut difference between online learning, MOOCs, and the present trend of CORONA education by converting face-to-face courses to Online learning instruction. Indeed, the quick transformation of face-to-face teaching to an online system gave birth to a novel concept of emergency remote learning as a new normal in the education system globally. As and when a crisis or emergence occurs, educational institutions are to be shut down, emergency remote learning may be a good substitute for face-to-face learning.

Emergency Remote Teaching: By clicking the link, ppt slide will be visible.

Emergency Remote Teaching

Series: 3 Let Us Learn How to Develop MOOC

 E-Content facilitates the Massive Open Online Course. The third step is designing the E content. E-Content or Electronic Content is digital content based on an electronic device. E-content is a necessary condition for MOOCs. It is designed and developed by using various digital tools and techniques. These include text, image/graphics, animation, audio, and video. Navigation, interactivity is included to add to make learners’ learning experience more interaction-based. These are designed and developed by using Digital tools. 

We may create diverse types of E-content as follows: 

• Text-based E-Content
• Image/Graphics based E-Content
• Audio Content
• Video E-Content

(Prof. Vandana Punia, Dean Faculty of Education, Human Resource Development Centre. Guru Jambheshwar University Of S&T, Hisar. She is also the Course Coordinator of National Resource Center, Pedagogical Innovations, and Research Methodology.  (MHRD, Govt. of India).

Exploring Learning Management System for HEIs to Combat COVID-19

With the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, there is emerging a trend to facilitate learning through an online platform. Prior to this situation usually, e-learning technologies attracted a small number of teachers. As and when there was a call for utilizing digital technologies in educational endeavors, mostly teachers hesitated to use the same. But now in COVID 19 has brought a new analysis of SWOC for teaching technologies with reference to digital technologies. In a world where knowledge is a mouse click away, the educational system must change too. In fact, this global crisis symbolizes challenges for the educational system to be more responsive, flexible, and resistant.

If we talk about the delivery of online learning. I am surprised to see the surroundings where A is very curious about taking his class in virtual mode and searching the platforms. B is engaging his class on ZOOM, Google Meet, or other similar platforms. Students are now totally confused when their teacher sends a message to them Install the particular app and tomorrow at 6; PM there will be class. Meantime there is another message from another teacher, download the app (which is different from the previous one), and tomorrow there will be a class and the time will be announced shortly. Pity on these types of arrangements. It is clear that due to pandemic covid 19, online learning is now a necessity. And necessity is not the mother of invention but also innovations. So is the case with the online learning system. Using technology in teaching and learning is now a mandate or essential concern for institutions and teachers also. This is a remembering fact that effort  done online learning is 10 times greater than offline education.

 In the delivery of online learning, there should be a Unified Learning Management System through a Flipped Classroom Approach. Unified learning management line up design, develop and delivery across two axes; curriculum and platform.  In this particular system, institution or teacher design and develop standard-based curriculum including best practices. MOODLE, CANVAS, COURSE BUILDER are some popular LMS in the Indian scenario. Every institution or teacher who wants to deliver online education must have LMS. These LMS are free of cost and paid basis also.

Learning Management System (LMS) is a software platform that supports a range of uses from fully online courses to hybrid, blended, and flipped learning. Learning Management System (LMS) assists in managing, delivering, and evaluating e-Learning Programs. The LMS allows for the delivery of materials and communication to students, administration of tests and assignments, record keeping, early alerts, and much more.”

Features:  There are the different features of LMS which make it unique one for virtual learning.

1. ·         Announcement Facility
2. ·         Notes Facility
3. ·         Document Facility
4. ·         Multimedia Gallery
5. ·         Learning Track Facility
6. ·         Links Facility
7. ·         References Facility
8. ·         News Facility
9. ·         Assignment Facility
10. ·         Assessment Facility
11. ·         Discussion forums
12. ·         Live to stream

A flipped classroom is an instructional approach that reverses traditional learning. Instead of delivering instructional content in the classroom, it provides the same to learners often online. In a flipped classroom, students watch online lectures, collaborate in online discussions, carry out research at home, and further in the classroom they discuss and analyze with a tea break.

In the delivery of On-Line Learning, LMS is an essential requirement and it must be taken as a serious concern.

(Prof. Vandana Punia, Human Resource Development Centre. Guru Jambheshwar University Of S&T, Hisar. She is also the Course Coordinator of National Resource Center, Pedagogical Innovations and Research Methodology.  (MHRD, Govt. of India).

 

Preparing Teachers for 21st Century: Learn, Unlearn and Relearn

21^st century is having the characteristics of globalization, fast-changing, and technology-based economy where social relationships are interwoven through digital tools and technologies.  In the same manner, Educational experiences are now in the transformational stage. Vision of 21st century pedagogy is quite different from 20th-century pedagogy in conceptualizing the curriculum with respect to the subject matter, pedagogy, and diverse skills. The pedagogy of the 21^st century is based on Ps i.e. Participation, Production, Personalization, and Cs i.e. Creativity, Critical Understanding, Communication and Collaboration. Moreover, students of this century are a digital native. The utmost requirement of twenty 21 century pedagogy is learning skills through digital learning experiences with reference to rethinking the role of teachers. Alvin Toffler has strongly stated that literate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn. This is now an emergent status quo for teachers to unlearn the previous trends and practices of teaching with regard to the past century and relearn present techniques and tactics of the millennium trend.

UNESCO stated that all teachers must harness technology for teaching excellence. This is a famous statement that technology can never replace great teachers, but in the hands of great teachers, it can be transformational. Technology helps make teaching, learning, and research more meaningful and enjoyable. There are a number of powerful technology tools in the classroom learning that teachers can use in the classroom that goes beyond textbooks. Digital skills and competencies will always be the ground on which education of the 21st century will grow and thrive. The teacher of the 21st century must be reflective and recognize their role as active practitioners who assume their responsibility in building skills among students with regard to critical understanding, communication, collaboration, and creativity along with technology skills and media skills. Indeed these core competencies are the 21st-century landscape.

 In this era, technological supported pedagogical innovations in form of MOOCs, Flip classrooms approach, Open Educational Resources are being popular in educational experiences. This is the need of the hour that teachers must try to relearn the psychology of young people, their interests, and passion. They must try to unlearn their assumptions and biases about education and keep abreast of happenings around the globe. Of course, someone has stated that Education is not rocket science. It’s much harder. Rocket science is about moving atoms, education is about moving minds. There is nothing big as a change mindset.

The author has the firm belief that technologies can help to develop the skills of the 21st century skills in a better way. Teachers should adopt a brave, confident attitude toward the use of technology, prepared to take risks, and become students along with life. They must assist students to pursue their questions, search, organize, and interpret information so that they may develop abilities to reflect and think critically about the quality of information from the sources through digital learning environments. Of course, digital learning experiences are fundamental to 21st-century education, it is not enough to simply add technology to existing teaching methods. The teacher must learn how to integrate technology in a strategic way that actually benefits the students. Because as a millennial learner, they are advanced users of technology, sometimes it becomes useless to utilize technology in front of them.

There is another emerging concept for preparing teachers for the 21^st century is the teacher’s digital competence.  Digital competence consists of digital knowledge, digital skill, and digital attitude. Every teacher must possess digital competence.  It consists of five segments as Accessing and Analyzing Information, Content Creation, Collaboration, Digital Awareness, and Problem shooter or Problem-Solving regarding digital technology.

In recent years, Govt. of India has done remarkable efforts in form of Indian Digital Initiatives to attract teachers to use technology and re-conceptualize the role of the teacher and a facilitator. These Indian Digital Initiatives are E-PG Pathsahla, ARPIT, NISHTA, CEC, etc. Teachers are provided access to good materials through technology, and they facilitate peer learning among students. In concluding statements, teachers must realize that learning can now take place round the clock and across the globe, with or without us in form of a virtual learning environment.

Unlearning might be harder than learning. It stated that we can change our practice only if we oppose our previously held beliefs, assumptions, and values. This phenomenon gives rise to a threat to identity and challenge which may affect the emotional, social, and intellectual state of an individual.   We need to teach learn to unlearn the habits and beliefs that hold back and to be open to new skills, experiences, behaviors, and knowledge for 21st-century requirements. In the end, it will come down to survival of the fastest to learn to unlearn and then relearn for better prospects. We must be ready to learn, unlearn, and relearn.

 

 

(Prof. Vandana Punia, Human Resource Development Centre. Guru Jambheshwar University Of S&T, Hisar. She is also the Course Coordinator of National Resource Center, Pedagogical Innovations and Research Methodology.  (MHRD, Govt. of India)._